Rehearsing vocalists and choirs...

[NLoomis]

If you need a little background you can refer to this thread (http://www.theworshipcommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1506).

My question is:

Where can I go for professional training on how to rehearse my worship team vocalists and contemporary choir to improve their ability to sing (and find) harmony, increase confidence, improve their vocal quality, and develop their stage presence?

Resources you know of or things that you do or have done would be really helpful. I'm trying to take my worship teams to the next (hopefully professional) level. Thanks.

Nathan

[garyhodges]

It sounds to me like you're facing quite a mountain. I don't have any quick fixes or particular resources that I know of for this sort of thing, as it is really multifaceted.

A couple of questions for you...

1 - Have you had any vocal training yourself? I believe in order to effectively direct a choir, you need to know how to teach them to sing properly. Take some lessons.

2 - Do you have the ability to write vocal parts? Or do you have someone who is skilled at this that you are working with? With a choir you can't just let them try to find the harmonies and go with it as there are many different approaches to harmonizing and you will end up with a train wreck. So knowing how to harmonize and learning part-writing is essential, unless you are able to find good arrangements already written out that you can purchase and use.

A group of singers/choir will gain confidence from how you handle them. Unless you're only working with a few vocalists, you must be the expert or have someone who is, to whom you can hand off the responsibility. They've got to have confidence in their leader before they will have confidence in themselves.

If you are trying to create your own vocal arrangements, you must either have a really good ear for multiple-part harmony or have a good understanding of music theory. To teach said parts to your singers and have it be consistent, I believe it's best to have the parts written out. Even if half of your vocalists don't read music, you'll have a standard of reference should someone say, "I thought it went like this" or "I like my way better than hers."

On harmonizing - I've been trying for years to develop a method to teach someone to hear harmonies -- without much success. If the person has some theory and ear-training behind them, that puts them way ahead. But for the most part I've found people either hear harmonies or they don't. I'm willing to be proven wrong. Please someone -- prove me wrong!

On the practical side:

As I said - take some voice lessons. Also, if there is a local choir -- no matter the style -- that you can join for a season (assuming you don't have such experience), that would be a great experience for you. Then, a few college courses in theory, ear-training and part-writing could prove to be invaluable.

[NLoomis]

Thanks. I do have classical vocal training. Someone on our team and I were talking and we realized that everyone we know who sings well started in a choir of some kind, and the really good ones sang acapella a lot. In my case, I had the privilege of being taught by one of the greatest choir directors in our state. I'm probably going to pick her brain and do much of what she did, although stylistically different (we did mostly acapella vocal jazz and chamber choir stuff).

I do have a good ear and can read and write parts. I sang professionally in a chamber choir for a bit. For a choir, we'd absolutely have written parts, sections, etc. ut that is a great point. I have no plans on going into any rehearsal unprepared! Thanks again.

Nathan

[fmckinnon]

Hey,
Keep WorshipLeader.Com's training in mind - I think they are having (or may have just HAD) a professional, online training for Worship Choir.

There are a number of artists/ministries who will visit your church and do a seminar or workshop as well.

Fred